Some GCSE students may have to drop subjects, new government guidance says.
The Department for Education has unveiled its plan to get all children back to school in September.
It says that it is likely that pupils in key stage 4 and 5 will need extra support to catch up on any content they have missed and the vast majority of pupils in year 10 and 11 are expected to continue to study their examination subjects.
However, it adds that in exceptional circumstances, it may be in the best interests of a year 11 pupil to discontinue an examined subject.
The DfE says this is because the school judges that, for example, they would achieve significantly better in their remaining subjects as a result, especially in GCSE English and mathematics.
School leaders are expected to make such decisions in discussion with pupils and parents as well as through ongoing assessment of a pupil's progress and wellbeing.
For year 10 pupils it adds that schools are expected to review any plans for early entry in summer 2021.
It says that it may be in the best interests of the pupil to take their exams and assessments the following year when they are in year 11, if the curriculum can be adjusted to provide further teaching and study time in the summer term and academic year 2021 to 2022.
Decisions on exams and assessments are expected to be released by Ofqual "shortly".
However, they did announce on Tuesday that GCSE and A-level students will be able to sit special exams this autumn if they don't like their coursework grades.
Effectively, it means that a full set of exams will be offered for all subjects in the autumn instead of the summer.
